Alajbegović Among the Elite: The Legacy of Players from Former Yugoslavia at Juventus
From Champions League final heroes to coaches on the touchline, footballers from the Balkans have been a vital part of the Turin club's history for decades.
From Champions League final heroes to coaches on the touchline, footballers from the Balkans have been a vital part of the Turin club's history for decades.
Kerim Alajbegović officially became a new Juventus player on Sunday, joining an impressive list of footballers from the former Yugoslavia who have worn the jersey of the Turin giants. The club has brought in players from this region over three full decades, and some of them have left an indelible mark.
Vladimir Jugović arrived in Turin in 1995 and, over two seasons, etched his name into the club's history. On May 22, 1996, in the Champions League final against Ajax in Rome, he came off the bench to replace Antonio Conte. After the match ended 1-1 in extra time, the tie went to a penalty shootout.
Jugović took the final kick and scored to make it 4-2, securing Juventus's second European Cup title.
"I approached the spot fairly calmly, and when I saw the ball go past Van der Sar, I knew I had entered Juventus legend," Jugović later said.Five years earlier, he had won the same trophy with Red Star Belgrade.
Igor Tudor is one of the most loyal players in the club's recent history. From 1998 to 2007, he spent nine seasons in the Juventus jersey, staying with the club even in its darkest moments. When the club was relegated to Serie B in 2006 due to the match-fixing scandal, Tudor did not leave Turin, unlike most of the stars at the time.
His connection with the club continued after his playing career. He first worked as an assistant coach, and in March 2025, he took over the first team, becoming the first person from this region to manage Juventus from the touchline.
Alen Bokšić arrived in 1996 from Lazio and stayed for one season. During that period, he won the Intercontinental Cup and the European Super Cup with Juventus, and he also played in the 1997 Champions League final, where Borussia Dortmund emerged victorious. Bokšić came to Turin already as a Champions League winner, having lifted the trophy with Marseille in 1993.
From Croatia, Robert Jarni, who spent a season with Juventus in the mid-nineties, and Marko Pjaca, who arrived in 2016 as a major signing, also passed through the club. Unfortunately, Pjaca's career in Turin was marred by serious injuries and numerous loan spells.
Miralem Pjanić joined Juventus in 2016 from Roma and was a key player for four seasons during a period of Serie A dominance. In 2020, he was sold to Barcelona. Before him, Hasan Salihamidžić arrived in 2007 from Bayern and brought great versatility to the right side of the pitch over two seasons. The two are the only players from Bosnia and Herzegovina to have played a significant number of matches for Juventus, while Tarik Muharemović came through the club's second team before moving on.
Miloš Krasić arrived in 2010 from CSKA Moscow and had a brilliant first season, but he soon lost his place in the squad and left the club. In the late nineties, Darko Kovačević, an efficient striker off the bench, and defender Zoran Mirković also passed through Turin. Today, Dušan Vlahović and Filip Kostić wear the Juventus colors.
The most unusual case is certainly that of Ivan Ergić. The midfielder signed for Juventus early in his career but never made a senior appearance for the first team. He built his career at Basel and later became known for speaking openly about mental health in sport.
Kerim Alajbegović now arrives as an eighteen-year-old for whom over thirty million euros were allocated. The new Serie A season begins on August 23, and the young footballer will have the chance to write his own page in the rich history of players from the Balkans at Juventus.
